Faith in Progress: On the Ultimate Supersession of Kosmos by Taxis

Transhumanism belongs within a broader constellation of thought, progressivism, the essence of which places faith in the ultimate supersession of some kosmos by some taxis.

Order is an indispensable concept for the discussion of all complex phenomena[.] […] Classical Greek was more fortunate in possessing distinct single words for the two kinds of order, namely taxis for a made order […] and kosmos for a grown order[.]

—Friedrich Hayek, « Law, Legislation, and Liberty » I.2

Hayek argues that humankind possesses the desire but lacks the capacity to replace kosmos with taxis,that order naturally arising performs better than does order artificially imposed. Hayek would warn against trying to replace the naturally evolved humanity with artificially designed transhumanity.

By contrast, to believe in progressivism means to place one’s faith in the power of growing intelligence to design systems (subject to taxis) superior to those we have received from natural processes (subject to kosmos). Transhumanism, which looks to transcendence of the human body, mind, and spirit through the fruits of intelligent endeavor, belongs within the progressivist constellation of thought. Transhumanity literally embodies the supersession of kosmos by taxis.

Hayek’s argument accurately assesses the state of the world in his time—he wrote before artificial computation had so surpassed biological cognition that computers became capable of feats that still escape humans. But Hayek’s argument loses its force with the theretofore-unforeseen advancement of technological capabilities that humanity has witnessed. To the contrary: In many domains, including those of the human body, mind, and spirit, we will see the supersession of kosmos by taxis.